Highway-crossing for railroads



v o Model) v T. J. BROWN.

HIGHWAY CROSSING FOR RAILROADS.

Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

THE uoams wxzns co.. PuorouTMo" WASHINGTO UNITED STATE PATENT DEF-ICE.

THOMAS'J. BROWN, on NE'w'Ross, INDIANA.

HIGHWAY-CROSSING FOR RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,237, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed October 6, 1897. Serial No. 654,313- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, THOMAS J. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Ross, in'the county of Montgomery and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Public Crossings for Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to an adjustable crossing for railroads at their intersection of a highway, road, or street, and has for its object the production of a crossing of the character described; and it consists in the peculiar construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts, as will be fully set forth in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a top plan of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on the line M N, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the central metallic frame. Figs. 4 and 5 are end elevations of the same. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the rail-protector D. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the rail-protector D.

In the construction of my invention I use three similar adjustable metallic frames, each comprising a pair of parallel side bars A and a pair of extensible end coupling-bars B. The sidebars A and the extensible end couplingbars B are hinged at C by the pins 0 for the purpose of enabling the hinged frame to be adjusted to any oblique angle desired to fit an oblique intersection of the railroad and the highway, road, or street. The extensible end coupling-bars B have lapping members which are provided with a series of bolt-openings B for the reception of the through-bolts B The width of the metallic frames'may be regulated as desired by the removal and reinsertion of the through-bolts B in the several openings B. The side bars A have a series of guards A, which have. openings in their laterallyprojecting parts for the reception of spikes which secure the metallic frames to the rail road-ties F. The outer metallic frames are providedwith what I term rail-protectors D, which prevent dirt and gravel filling the vacuum between-the inner sides of the outer frames and the rails. The protectors D fit against the outer balls of the rails slightly below their upper surface and are securely mounted on the inner side of the outer metallicfframes by the guards D, rigidly secured thereto. The guards D also have openings in their laterally-projecting parts for the reception of spikes, which are secured in the railroad-ties F for holding the protectors D rigidly in position on the metallic frames and against the outer balls of the rails.

E refers to the railway-rails, and F the crossties.

G represents the filling of the metallic frames when secured in position at a highway-crossing of a railroad. I have shown the filling in this instance of paving-brick, al though any other suitable material may be ntilizedsuch as cinders, crushed stone, coarse gravel, or asphalt-with equal advantage.

The dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate how my invention may be positioned at an intersectionj where the line of a public way crosses the line of the railroad obliquely. It will be seen-that the sides of the central metallic frame are placed far enough from the inside balls of the rails E to-leave a suitable groove for the passage of the rims of the car-wheels, while the round hinge-corners of said frame trail the rims of the car-wheels safely in their passage-grooves.

The dotted lines in Fig. 3 illustrate the extreme limits of adjustment of which the metallic frames are capable. It will be seen that this feature of my invention enables it to be positioned in line with the highway which crosses the railroad at right angles or at any oblique angle.

In the construction of street-crossings in cities or towns where the width of the crossin g is ordinarily required to be twice the width of the common highway-crossing the extensible end coupling-bars B are removed from one end of six metallic frames and the removed bars B discarded, and the free ends of the six frames are hinged together by the pins 0, which form three frames twice the usual length, which are positioned and secured like the single metallic frames described hereinbefore.

The evident advantages of my invention over railroad-crossings heretofore in use are that it provides a solid substantial framework rigidly secured to the railroad provided with a stable filling, and that it avoids what I term tearing up the highway-crossing in order to level and repair the tracks at the crossing and allows the leveling and repairing to be done by simply raising and tamping the ties, as done elsewhere along the line. It further obviates the accumulation of dampness,which softens the under surface of the wooden crossing in common use, permitting it to beat down faster than it would otherwise.

Having thus fully described my invention and set forth the operation and advantages thereof, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A public crossing for railroads consisting of three similar adjustable, metallic hinged frames, a central frame between the rails and a pair of frames at the outer sides of the rails, the same comprising a pair of parallel side bars and extensible end coupling-bars and a filling of suitable substance secured in the inclosures of the frames, all made in the manner and for the purposes set forth, substan- THOMAS J. BROVN.

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RICHARD I1. KING, ED INLow. 

